Octagonal Barns

This octagon shaped barn in the Town of Grafton is now owned by the Tetzlaff family, but is was erected by Ernest Clausing 100 years ago. It is believed that Clausing erected 14 of these barns in the southern end of Ozaukee County, all within one mile of the Lake Michigan shoreline. One of the 14 was dismantled and moved to Old World Wisconsin several years ago. This one is located on Lake Shore Road, another on Pioneer Road, about 2 miles to the southwest and another is located several miles west of Cedarburg on Western Road in the Town of Jackson.

The Tetzlaffs call their farm "Octagon Farms". They raise llamas, alpacas and emus. The old milk house has become a retail store and tours of the working barn are given

The architectural design of the barn is Dutch and German The 8 walls of the barn made the structure capable of withstanding the fierce winds off nearby Lake Michigan. Each of the 8 walls is 26 feet wide and 20 feet high. The barn has 3,200 square feet of floor space. The top of the cupola stands 60 feet above ground level.